Designing Effective Instruction for Secondary Social Studies (2nd Edition) - Hardcover

Dynneson, Thomas L.; Gross, Richard E.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0137917325 ISBN 13: 9780137917327

Publisher: Prentice Hall, 1998

Synopsis

Completely rewritten to provide a solid theoretical base in social studies education at the secondary level. Incorporates the national standards through numerous examples and guides teachers in the design, development, and implementation of appropriate social studies education. Addresses the issues and problems associated with designing, developing, and executing instruction according to the principles of scope, sequence, continuity, integration, focus, and balance. Instructors of Social Studies at the high school level.

About this title

From the Publisher

Designed to keep pace with educational reform movements that have increased the responsibilities of classroom teachers, this text shows preservice and inservice social studies teachers how to design courses that are efficient and effective and that emphasize the values, concepts, and skills that are characteristic of the content.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

According to Aristotle,

Mankind are by no means agreed about the things to be taught,
whether we look to virtue or to the best life . . . Should the
useful in life, or virtue, or the higher knowledge be the aim
of training?. . . and. . . about the means of education there
is no agreement.

We believe, however, that proven means do exist to provide the foundation for instruction. In this third edition of Designing Effective Instruction for Secondary Social Studies, we have updated and reorganized the content so that it can better serve both as a basic methods text for teacher candidates and as a curriculum and instruction resource for social studies teachers who want to improve their planning and teaching skills. To enhance the value of the text, we have included substantive issues pertaining to curriculum, current trends in technology, and instructional design principles and models that can be easily followed in the development and execution of instruction. Our purpose is to provide social studies teachers with a simple process they can use to organize their instructional planning for social studies in a more systematic way. Subsequently, this text is based on the following premises:

• Premise 1: Teaching social studies can be improved when teachers learn how to organize for effective instruction. This text, therefore, is formatted according to a seven-part sequential pattern for the presentation of the "social studies." This presentation attempts to (1) provide basic information about the social studies as a field of instruction and (2) present this information in a manner that can be used to improve the social studies curricula and methodology through the application of certain design principles, recommendations, and a model for planning and executing instruction.
• Premise 2: The best organizational pattern for designing social studies curriculum and instruction begins with some of the historical and philosophical foundations of the field and its disciplines followed by specific ideas for planning lessons, units, and courses.
• Premise 3: A social studies text devoted to curriculum and methods should focus on various approaches for organizing subject matter and the structure (content and methodologies) of the disciplines that are characteristic of the field. More often than not, neophytes are not familiar with the variety of effective social studies approaches that are characteristic of the field. Therefore, it is important that a social studies methods textbook review these approaches and characteristics and their use in the social studies classroom.
• Premise 4: Social studies teacher education should emphasize the elements of content—concepts, skills, and values—that are characteristic of the field. This premise rests on our belief that one of the most critical aspects of social studies instruction is the teacher's ability to plan and present key concepts, target skills, and core values to students.
• Premise 5: A study of social studies teaching methods should emphasize the components of instruction to promote a more systematic understanding Of the interrelationships between objectives, motivation, strategies, activities, materials, and evaluation. These components of instruction should be used to help focus the teacher's classroom presentations and learning activities, which center on the most important objectives that have been formulated prior to instruction.
• Premise 6: Books on social studies curriculum and instruction methods should contain a specific model for design-based instruction that can be used as a guideline for designing, developing, and executing courses, units, and lessons.

As evidenced by these premises, we are convinced that successful classroom teaching depends on the organizational structure of instruction, which should be based on a step-by-step systematic model for designing, developing, and presenting courses, units, and lessons.

Text Organization

Based on our premises for an effective presentation for teaching the social studies, we have structured our text to have seven integrated parts. This design explores selected social studies issues and ideas and, at the same time, guides teachers in the design, development, and implementation of appropriate social studies education. A description of the role of each of these parts follows.

Part 1—Historical and Ideological Concerns. Part 1 explores the origins and perceptions of social studies instruction and contains an overview of pertinent research literature in social studies education. This literature also serves as a resource for formulating new ways of organizing instruction.

Part 2—The Subject Fields and Disciplines of the Social Studies. Part 2 explores social studies subject matter from history, the social sciences, and related disciplines. It describes the characteristics of these disciplines and their applied uses within the social studies curriculum, particularly in regard to the study of American heritage and citizenship and acquisition of the skills needed to study the people and places of the world.

Part 3—Preparation for Effective Instruction: Student Needs, Technology, and Motivation. Part 3 addresses special student needs, the use of technology in the social studies classroom, and the importance of developing the students' desire to learn the content of coon.

Part 4—Identifying Instructional Goals and Design Models for Course, Unit, and Lesson Development. Part 4 explores the techniques of designing instructional goals and the role of these goals in shaping instructional outcomes. A detailed and extensive design model is introduced and is based on our principles of effective instruction.

Part 5—The Selection and Organization of Subject Matter Elements: Concepts, Skills, and Values. In Part 5, the reader will learn to select and organize subject matter according to the elements of content (concepts, skills, and values). These elements serve as the building blocks of instruction and the means for helping students acquire critical thinking skills and values.

Part 6—The Selection or Development of Classroom Strategies, Activities, and Materials. Part 6 explores the selection and organization of the components of instruction, including the experiences, behaviors, and capabilities that students need to deal with subject matter.

Part 7—Effective Instructional Assessment Strategies. Part 7 addresses the relationship between instruction and evaluation as an integral aspect of teaching. Although a great many evaluation techniques are described, the emphasis is on the use of a systematic plan for evaluation, the techniques for assessing students, and the wise use of test results.

Text Goals

The goals of our seven-part organizational approach are to help you:

• Recognize the historical and ideological foundation on which social studies instruction is based.
• Address the issues and problems associated with designing, developing, and executing instruction according to the principles of scope, sequence, continuity, integration, focus, and balance.
• Describe the different approaches of the social studies in regard to the selection and organization of disciplinary content.
• Organize the elements of subject matter content (concept, skills, and values) into effective presentation patterns for students.
• Provide learning experiences that will encourage students to advance in their capacities, attitudes, and confidence in their ability to learn outside the classroom.
• Ensure that learning materials will be appropriate for students according to their levels of maturity, experience, and ability.

The Appendices: Practical Teaching Workshops

Designing Effective Instruction for Secondary Social Studies is based on years of experience and careful thought as to an optimum social studies program. It is the reason, in addition to the seven-part text structure, that we also have included appendices that include detailed models and workshops for precertified and experienced teachers. This feature is designed to help methods instructors assist teachers in acquiring design skills related to social studies lessons and units.

What's New in the Third Edition?

The third edition contains some major modifications of the second edition, including the reorganization of Part 1. This modification places the chapter on the history of the social studies before the chapter related to an exploration of ideological issues. More significantly, the authorship of the text has been expanded to include the expertise of Michael J. Berson, professor of social studies at the University of South Florida. Professor Berson's main contribution is related to computer-based instruction and Web-based resources related to social studies content. As a recognized leader in social studies teacher education, Michael has added many valuable resources and guidelines for advancing these new technologies for social studies instruction. This volume also contains new materials related to exploring the continuing influences of the standards movement as they apply to the disciplines of the social studies. Perhaps the most significant instructional addition to the textbook are the vignettes that have been added at the end of Chapters 5 to 8 and 10 to 15. These vignettes are designed to involve instructors and their students in practical thinking about creative teaching in the social studies classroom. More specifically, the vignettes are designed to challenge users to think creatively and offer innovative solutions to practical instructional problems.

Edition details

• Publisher: Prentice Hall
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 0137917325
• ISBN 13: 9780137917327
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 489